Why Your Video Content Isn't Hitting As It Should (and How to Fix It)

"The photos that got taken weren’t quite what I wanted”

“I booked a videographer but it didn’t have the impact I expected”

You’re not alone, I’ve heard this and 100 other versions from founders over the years — and today we’re going to unpack a couple of reasons why. From emerging businesses, I’ve observed that it tends to be a mix of these reasons.

Let’s get into it.

Reason 1: You hired a videographer, not a director

When you’re shooting content, especially one without a high 5-figure budget, you won’t necessarily have a full production team. Hiring someone who knows how to use a professional camera is very different from hiring a storyteller.

Experienced directors will focus on telling a story that reflects the mission and identity of your business. Great directors are storytellers, but they may or may not be technical camera operators and that’s okay. Too many founders and marketers assume that “making more videos” will help them grow online, but that’s just the hygiene factor (aka, the bare minimum).

What matters more is this:

• What the video is saying
• How it’s being said, and
• How it’s connected to your business goals, which leads us to point 2.

Reason 2: Your team is disconnected from your desired commercial outcome

This one is big: you’ve not planned out how the video or photo content you’re making drives your business goals.

Does it sit at the top of the marketing funnel? Does it drive awareness? Is it designed to convert? If questions like these aren’t established way before you shoot, it’ll be harder to leverage the power of what you’re making once it’s made.

This is where good marketers come in, they have a strong viewpoint of why this content exists and what business goal it drives while still executing the creative vision.

Reason 3: Your creative direction isn’t aligned

If you’re not used to creating visually appealing content yourself, it can be hard to

a) communicate what you’re looking for in your brief to your production team and

b) know how to make it come to life yourself.

This is where an art/creative director comes in.

We live in an algorithmic, visual world — and that includes TikTok. People tend to assume that because short-form videos are not as pristine as traditional Instagram posts, visuals don’t matter. The truth is they really do, even the most casual, “pared down” campaigns will have a well-considered visual aspect to them (even if it doesn’t align with your personal taste). See some of our work here, here and here. 

So, in summary

I’ve used a few technical titles in this newsletter, don’t get too hung up on them.

In layman's terms, all you need is:

1. Someone who can tell compelling stories (director)
2. Someone who connects your business goals to your creative expression (marketer)
3. Someone who knows how to make things ‘look good’ (art/creative director)

When you’re thinking about assembling your team for content shoots — make sure you have these people on board, especially number 2 which is what I’ve found tends to get overlooked.

Sometimes, if you’re lucky they may all be the same person. In my practice, SBM, we’ve always done a blend of all 3 depending on what’s needed from larger-scale videos to tiny personal production budgets.

The key is this: don’t dive into video creation without establishing this first.

Thanks for reading!

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